Bible Chapter: Psalms 75 & 76

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    God is the amazing and awesome creator. We are privileged to declare His wondrous works. I am often amazed at the fantastic technology advancements that are happening in the world today. And then I see a report about where the inspiration came from for the new technology. So many of them come from something that is seen in nature that God created.  They simply copied what God did. Truly, we can declare God’s wondrous praise forever. At the same time, God is the righteous judge who will deal with the boastful and sinful people of the world.
    God does righteously judge people. He judges people as they deserve it in life and He will also judge everyone for eternity at a future time. One of the results of God’s judgment is that it sets godly people free.  There are many cruel people in the world and God rescues His people from them.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    There are many people in the world who are very proud and boastful.  There appears to be no fear of doing anything against God’s ways.  These people must wake up and see God’s righteousness.  I always want to remember that. When the tempter comes it is easy to forget the issues of temptation and the consequences that result.  It can seem so innocent.  It is never innocent, but it brings many problems. Some choices, made in an instant, can impact the rest of a person’s life.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Keep thinking about God.  Not with a dread that God is watching, but with the encouragement that He cares enough to be with you and never leave you alone.

Bible Chapter: Psalms 73 & 74

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    There is an age-old question: why do good things happen to evil people?  And the opposite: why do good people experience bad things?  This can be a very discouraging issue for Godly people to deal with.  Those who love God must live in the confidence that God knows what He is doing and will give the right eternal judgement to all.  Wicked people won’t get away with their sin and righteous people will receive their reward.
    God is a righteous Judge.  He will give people opportunity to repent. But, He will judge and the consequences of sin will come to people in God’s perfect timing.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    People who are serving God and living a righteous life can easily get caught up with jealousy when it seems like sinful people are getting away with sin.  It can seem that there is a prosperity that comes with rejecting a Godly life.  Throughout life I have often wondered how some people seem to have so much and seem to prosper when they are living so far from God.  I must continue to remember that God will always do what is right and that this world is not my final focus. I must not get caught up in looking at things that are not eternal.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Don’t get short-sighted in thinking that what you do doesn’t matter.  It can seem that people are getting away with sin, but, they are not. Keep eternity in focus and let it impact your choices.  The most important choice is to make Jesus your Lord and Savior.

Bible Chapter: Psalms 71 & 72

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    What should a person do when they face trials and frustrations?  I have observed many who run from God at that time. This is the opposite of what should be done. The Psalmist here says that he has continued to trust in God and keep his faith in Him.  When a person receives Jesus as their Savior they make a personal commitment to the Lord.  It is important to maintain that commitment throughout life, no matter what battles they face.  As people get old and they lose physical strength, the must continue to put their trust in the Lord.  One of the greatest responsibilities is to pass the truths of God to the next generation.
    Psalm 72 is a prayer of King Solomon, asking God for help in his reign.  He asked for God’s righteous judgements and help in treating the poor.  He sought God’s help for the oppressed.  This is an important lesson for all to follow: seek God and His help.  Seek that God’s ways will be the way that people live.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    Stick with Jesus in every situation.  Unfortunately, I have observed too many people who, when they face hard times, only give lip service to God. Some even fully walk away from serving Him.  They give up all that God has done in their lives.  They quit. This must never be.  Instead, each one, yes this includes me, must let challenges bring us closer to the Lord to seek His power to carry us through.

3.  How can I help someone?
    How close can you get to God?  That is the question I want to encourage people to ask and then respond.  Whether one is powerful and rich as Solomon was, or if one is poor, the best route in life is to get closer to the Lord.

Bible Chapter: Psalms 69 & 70

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    The psalmist, David, was crying out to God for help. He felt like he was about to drown because of the work of his enemies. There were countless people who hated him without a cause. He was weary of his crying out to God for help, and yet he continued to seek God and desired to be in God’s presence. His prayer was that God would deliver him out of the mire and not sink in the deep waters. He was trusting that God would judge those treated him in such an evil way. He prayed that God would pour out His indignation on them and that their dwelling place would be desolate.
    There are two groups of people in the world. There are those who love God and those who don’t. David prayed for God to make haste to deliver him and that those who seek his life would be ashamed. He also pray that those who seek God will rejoice and be glad and that God will be magnified. David acknowledged he was poor and needy, needing God’s help, today.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    We all have times when we feel down and discouraged. At some of those times we can feel all alone and feel as if we are the only one who ever has experienced this. I must remember that battles and struggles are a normal part of our life on this earth. Ever since the sinful fall of mankind, there has been an intense spiritual battle to cause people to be discouraged and give up on God. David understood this. He said he was poor and needy and needed God’s help. This is an important truth to remember always.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Remember that God is always ready to help and respond to anyone who truly calls on His name. There are times we will like His response and there are times we will feel that He has abandoned us. It is important to remember that God will respond in his perfect timing.

Bible Chapter: Psalms 67 & 68

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    Lord, it is vital that you are known in all the earth. People need to know Your salvation. The nations will be glad and sing for joy for You Lord, judge the people righteously. Let all the people praise the Lord.
    We can celebrate God’s great reign over all the earth. His enemies will be scattered and flee before him. The righteous will be glad and rejoice before the Lord. We can see the heart and compassion of God as the father to the fatherless and the defender of widows. God has all power and we can be assured that, in the end, He will be victorious. He is the God of eternal salvation.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    God is awesome. That is something that we need to continually be reminded of, that there is nothing too hard for God and that He is the victor. God has all strength and He is worthy to receive all of our praise. As I continue to learn to apply these truths in my life I can better trust Him in everything that I experience. I am reminded of the passage that tells me to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I am also reminded that Jesus promised to never leave me or forsake me.

3.  How can I help someone?
    What do you do with the challenges of life? This is a question that everyone must think about and answer. And the answer must be somehow tied in with putting their trust fully in God and leaning on Him and his way of life and salvation. I want to help people see God as He wants to be seen.

Bible Chapter: Psalms 65 & 66

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    God is always ready to receive praise. He is always worthy to receive praise. He is the one who hears our prayer and it is a normal thing for people to reach out to God.  It is a universal thing for people to pray.  Unfortunately, many don’t know where to direct their prayer. Possibly the most blessed place a person can be is to be in the presence of God. It is there that we find great satisfaction in the awesome presence of God. Our loving God is the one who hears and answers prayer. He is our source of provision.  He waters the earth and crops grow. He is worthy of our praise.
    The psalmist here encourages people to make a joyful shout to the Lord. It seems like people are very willing to make an excited shout at a ball game but are afraid to make noise in praise to God. When we see the great works of God and the awesome things He does, we see that He is worthy of our praise. So all of God’s people need to bless the Lord. The psalmist expressed his desire to bring sacrifice and worship to the Lord.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    The 66th Psalm ends with a challenging thought. The psalmist said that if he would regard iniquity in his heart the Lord would not hear him. I have observed that it is very easy for people, even some Christians, to allow sinful thoughts and desires to reside in their hearts. I am not talking about temptation or fleeting thoughts, but the desire to be involved with something sinful and try to figure out a way to get away with it. The one who does this will certainly block their prayers. This is a good lesson for when it seems like it would be easy to get away with something sinful.

3.  How can I help someone?
    How close can you get to God? This is a good question to continue to ask. In helping people I want to help them get close to God. God is always worthy to receive our praise and ready to hear our prayers. Always remember this.

Bible Chapter: Psalms 63 & 64

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    The psalmist is writing about earnestly seeking God. This is something that everyone who calls themselves a believer in the Lord needs to have as a normal part of their life. Each one needs a deep longing for God that is only fulfilled in a close personal relationship with Him. It is a good thing for every believer to ask themselves if they really long for the presence of God in their life. It is too easy to go through life only focusing on what we can have in this world. Study in the Bible and serving God need to be more important than our own personal desires.
    God is our protection. The psalmist prayed for the Lord to keep him in His secret place. Whether there is a literal physical threat, or a spiritual threat in the battles against evil, we can go to God for His protection. Because of God’s great power we can have confidence in Him.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    How close can I get to God? That is a question that comes up often in reading the Psalms. And the answer must be that I continually strive to get closer to him than I am now. The deception of the enemy wants me to think that it doesn’t matter what I do or if I try to stay close to God. That is simply a very dangerous lie that I must always reject. It does make a difference in life when a person is living in obedience to and growing closer to God.

3.  How can I help someone?
    I want to help people think about who they trust and rely on. I want them to see that the greatest source of protection and hope is found in living the life submitted to Jesus. He has given us the amazing promise that He will never leave us or forsake us.